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The Martian atmosphere is an extremely thin sheet of gas, principally carbon dioxide, that extends from
the surface of Mars to the edge of space. The Martian atmosphere is less dense than the Earth's
atmosphere, but there are many similarities. Gravity holds the atmosphere to the Martian surface and
within the atmosphere, very complex chemical, thermodynamic, and fluid dynamics effects occur. The
atmosphere is not uniform; fluid properties are constantly changing with time and place, producing
weather on Mars just like on Earth.
Variations in atmospheric properties extend upward from the surface of Mars. The sun heats the surface
and some of this heat goes into warming the gas near the surface. The heated gas is then diffused or
convected up through the atmosphere. Thus, the gas temperature is highest near the surface and
decreases as we increase altitude. The speed of sound depends on the temperature and also decreases
with increasing altitude. As with the Earth, the pressure in the atmosphere decreases with altitude. The
density of the atmosphere depends on both the temperature and the pressure through the equation of
state and also decreases with increasing altitude.
Aerodynamic forces directly depend on the gas density. To help spacecraft designers, it is useful to
define a mathematical model of the atmosphere to capture the effects of altitude. The model shown here
was developed from measurements of the Martian atmosphere made by the Mars Global Surveyor in
April 1996. The information on the Martian atmosphere was gathered by Jonathon Donadee of Canfield
(Ohio) Middle School during a cyber-mentoring program in 1999. The data was curve fit to produce
equations by Dave Hiltner of St. John's Jesuit High School as part of a shadowing program in May 1999.
The curve fits are given for metric units. These curve fits are also available in English units.
The model has two zones with separate curve fits for the lower atmosphere and the upper atmosphere.
The lower atmosphere runs from the surface of Mars to 7,000 meters. In the lower atmosphere, the
temperature decreases linearly and the pressure decreases exponentially. The rate of temperature
decrease is called the lapse rate. For the temperature T and the pressure p, the metric units curve fits for
the lower atmosphere are:
T = -31 - 0.000998 * h
p = .699 * exp(-0.00009 * h)
where the temperature is given in Celsius degrees, the pressure in kilo-Pascals,and h is the altitude in
meters. The upper stratosphere model is used for altitudes above 7,000 meters. In the upper atmosphere
the temperature decreases linearly and the pressure decreases exponentially. The metric units curve fits
for the upper atmosphere are:
T = -23.4 - 0.00222 * h
p = .699 * exp(-0.00009 * h)
In each zone the density r is derived from the equation of state.
r = p / [.1921 * (T + 273.1)]
This is the atmosphere model used in the FoilSim simulator. The model is also used in the interactive
atmosphere simulation program. With the applet, you can change altitude and see the effects on pressure
and temperature. You can also compare the Martian atmosphere to the atmosphere on Earth.

Activities:


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Interactive Atmosphere Model:


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Mars fact sheet



Mars Fact Sheet



Mars/Earth Comparison

Bulk parameters
Mars Earth Ratio
(Mars/Earth)
Mass (10
24
kg) 0.64174 5.9726 0.107
Volume (10
10
km
3
) 16.318 108.321 0.151
Equatorial radius (km) 3396.2 6378.1 0.532
Polar radius (km) 3376.2 6356.8 0.531
Volumetric mean radius (km) 3389.5 6371.0 0.532
Core radius (km) 1700 3485 0.488
Ellipticity (Flattening) 0.00589 0.00335 1.76
Mean density (kg/m
3
) 3933 5514 0.713
Surface gravity (m/s
2
) 3.71 9.80 0.379
Surface acceleration (m/s
2
) 3.69 9.78 0.377
Escape velocity (km/s) 5.03 11.19 0.450
GM (x 10
6
km
3
/s
2
) 0.04283 0.3986 0.107
Bond albedo 0.250 0.306 0.817
Visual geometric albedo 0.170 0.367 0.463
Visual magnitude V(1,0) -1.52 -3.86 -
Solar irradiance (W/m
2
) 589.2 1367.6 0.431
Black-body temperature (K) 210.1 254.3 0.826
Topographic range (km) 30 20 1.500
Moment of inertia (I/MR
2
) 0.366 0.3308 1.106
J
2
(x 10
-6
) 1960.45 1082.63 1.811
Number of natural satellites 2 1
Planetary ring system No No

Orbital parameters
Mars Earth Ratio
(Mars/Earth)
Semimajor axis (10
6
km) 227.92 149.60 1.524
Sidereal orbit period (days) 686.980 365.256 1.881
Tropical orbit period (days) 686.973 365.242 1.881
Perihelion (10
6
km) 206.62 147.09 1.405
Aphelion (10
6
km) 249.23 152.10 1.639
Synodic period (days) 779.94 - -
Mean orbital velocity (km/s) 24.07 29.78 0.808
Max. orbital velocity (km/s) 26.50 30.29 0.875
Min. orbital velocity (km/s) 21.97 29.29 0.750
Orbit inclination (deg) 1.850 0.000 -
Orbit eccentricity 0.0935 0.0167 5.599
Sidereal rotation period (hrs) 24.6229 23.9345 1.029
Length of day (hrs) 24.6597 24.0000 1.027
Obliquity to orbit (deg) 25.19 23.44 1.075

Mars Observational Parameters
Discoverer: Unknown
Discovery Date: Prehistoric

Distance from Earth
Minimum (10
6
km) 55.7
Maximum (10
6
km) 401.3
Apparent diameter from Earth
Maximum (seconds of arc) 25.1
Minimum (seconds of arc) 3.5
Mean values at opposition from Earth
Distance from Earth (10
6
km) 78.39
Apparent diameter (seconds of arc) 17.9
Apparent visual magnitude -2.0
Maximum apparent visual magnitude -2.91
Mars Mean Orbital Elements (J2000)
Semimajor axis (AU) 1.52366231
Orbital eccentricity 0.09341233
Orbital inclination (deg) 1.85061
Longitude of ascending node (deg) 49.57854
Longitude of perihelion (deg) 336.04084
Mean Longitude (deg) 355.45332

North Pole of Rotation
Right Ascension: 317.681 - 0.106T
Declination : 52.887 - 0.061T
Reference Date : 12:00 UT 1 Jan 2000 (JD 2451545.0)
T = Julian centuries from reference date

Martian Atmosphere

Surface pressure: 6.36 mb at mean radius (variable from 4.0 to 8.7 mb
depending on season)
[6.9 mb to 9 mb (Viking 1 Lander site)]
Surface density: ~0.020 kg/m
3

Scale height: 11.1 km
Total mass of atmosphere: ~2.5 x 10
16
kg
Average temperature: ~210 K (-63 C)
Diurnal temperature range: 184 K to 242 K (-89 to -31 C) (Viking 1 Lander
site)
Wind speeds: 2-7 m/s (summer), 5-10 m/s (fall), 17-30 m/s (dust storm)
(Viking Lander sites)
Mean molecular weight: 43.34 g/mole
Atmospheric composition (by volume):
Major : Carbon Dioxide (CO
2
) - 95.32% ; Nitrogen (N
2
) - 2.7%
Argon (Ar) - 1.6%; Oxygen (O
2
) - 0.13%; Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- 0.08%
Minor (ppm): Water (H
2
O) - 210; Nitrogen Oxide (NO) - 100; Neon (Ne) -
2.5;
Hydrogen-Deuterium-Oxygen (HDO) - 0.85; Krypton (Kr) - 0.3;
Xenon (Xe) - 0.08


Satellites of Mars
Phobos Deimos
Semi-major axis* (km) 9378 23459
Sidereal orbit period (days) 0.31891 1.26244
Sidereal rotation period (days) 0.31891 1.26244
Orbital inclination (deg) 1.08 1.79
Orbital eccentricity 0.0151 0.0005
Major axis radius (km) 13.4 7.5
Median axis radius (km) 11.2 6.1
Minor axis radius (km) 9.2 5.2
Mass (10
15
kg) 10.6 2.4
Mean density (kg/m
3
) 1900 1750
Geometric albedo 0.07 0.08
Visual magnitude V(1,0) +11.8 +12.89
Apparent visual magnitude (V
0
) 11.3 12.40

*Mean orbital distance from the center of Mars.

Notes on the factsheets - definitions of parameters, units, notes on sub- and superscripts, etc.
Planetary Fact Table - metric units
Planetary Fact Table - U.S. units
Planetary Fact Table - Earth ratio

Mars Home Page
Directory to other Planetary Fact Sheets

Author/Curator:
Dr. David R. Williams, dave.williams@nasa.gov
NSSDC, Mail Code 690.1
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
+1-301-286-1258



NASA Official: Ed Grayzeck, edwin.j.grayzeck@nasa.gov
Last Updated: 25 April 2014, DRW





NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory descent and landing of Curiosity rover
Of course, Curiosity is not the first U.S. rover to successfully land on the Martian surface. The
Sojourner rover as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission successfully landed and operated on Mars
from July 4 September 22, 1997. The Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity both
landed on Mars in January of 2004. Spirits wheels became stuck in the sand in January of 2010,
and communication with it ended on March 22, 2010. As far as Opportunity, that rover is still
operating on the surface of Mars.

Part of what makes the Curiosity rover so interesting is that this latest Martian rover is so much
bigger than the previous two generations of Mars rovers. Weighing in at nearly one ton,
Curiositys size alone proved to be a major challenge for safely landing on the surface of Mars.

The problem really begins with the very thin atmosphere on the planet Mars. It would take a
combination of a heat shield and a massive braking parachute to help slow the spacecraft for part
of the descent. Because the thinness of the atmosphere would not sufficiently slow the
spacecraft with a parachute, the spacecraft would have to use rocket motors for a powered
descent down to the planets surface.

What makes Curiositys landing really special is that a new technique was used for actually
setting the rover onto the surface of Mars. The probe made a powered descent and hovered
about 25 or so feet above the surface. The Curiosity rover was then lowered twenty feet in a
technique called the sky crane. The rover was then gently set upon the surface. After
touchdown, the cables to the probe were detached and the probe flew a safe distance away




Spacecraft



Spacecraft FaWeight:
MSL had a total launch mass, including the rockets that lifted it away from Earth, of about 531,000 kilograms (1.17 million pounds).



What is the spacecraft?
The spacecraft is the protective "spaceship" that enables the precious cargo (that is, the rover!) to travel between Earth and Mars. It is separate from the launch vehicle that carries
the spacecraft and the rover outside of Earth's atmosphere and gravity pull.
Like NASA's twin Mars rovers that landed on the red planet in early 2004, the Mars Science Laboratory rover was tucked inside a tightly packaged cruise stage and aeroshell with
a heat shield. Unlike the two Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Science Laboratory Rover extended its wheels similar to the way an airplane unfolds its landing gear just before
touchdown.
The spacecraft includes the mechanical units that safely carried and maneuvered the rover as it entered the Martian atmosphere and landed on Mars.
The spacecraft design for Mars Science Laboratory consists of:

Cruise Stage:
Configuration for travel between Earth & Mars.

Entry, Descent, & Landing System:
Configuration for entry into the Martian atmosphere. Includes the aeroshell and a "sky crane" lander structure.

Rover:
A wheeled vehicle with science instruments for discoveries on the Martian surface.
The spacecraft design for the Mars Science Laboratory mission is based largely on the successful twin Viking landers sent to Mars in the 1970s. The rover design is based on the
Mars Exploration Rovers, which landed on Mars in early 2004. The system for entry, descent, and landing is entirely new.
How much does the spacecraft weigh?
The Mars Science Laboratory mission had a total launch mass, including the rockets that lifted it away from Earth, of about 531,000 kilograms (1.17 million pounds). The total
mass of the spacecraft is 3,893 kilograms (8,463 pounds). The mass of parts of the spacecraft is as follows:
Mass in kg (lbs)
Rover
899 kg
(1,982 lbs)
EDL System
(Aeroshell and fueled descent stage)
2,401 kg
(5,293 lbs)
Cruise Stage (Fueled)
539 kg
(1,188 lbs